Alouettes trying to figure out what went wrong with offence

Jacques Chapdelaine was part of a British Columbia team in 2011 that lost its opening five games, and six of its first seven — but eventually rebounded to win the Grey Cup, thanks to an eight-game winning streak.

“Nobody let that start of the year define who we were. Staying positive is important. Remembering what you do well is important,” the Alouettes head coach said on Monday.

Similarly, over his 13 Canadian Football League seasons, quarterback Darian Durant has had to lick his wounds, his teams on the losing end of lopsided games.

“With all the experience I have, it has happened to me plenty of times,” he said. “There’s going to be some tough losses, some lopsided scores. At the end of the day, we know we’re a good team.

“When you play pro football, there’s a small margin for error. Playing against a team that’s hungry … there’s no room for error. They jumped on us. It happens from time to time.”

Instead, the Als came up flat and empty in so many areas, the game spiralling out of control after a fairly even opening quarter that included a Durant interception with Montreal scrimmaging from the Toronto 12-yard line. The pass over the middle, intended for Ernest Jackson, appeared low and underthrown, pilfered by Cassius Vaughn.

Chapdelaine said he contemplated challenging the play, believing there was illegal contact, but didn’t feel the league’s Command Centre would overrule that early and obviously didn’t want to lose his one and only challenge. Jackson wasn’t in a position to come across the defender, as Durant had anticipated, Chapdelaine explained.

It was the beginning of the end for the visitors.

They controlled the ball for nearly six minutes alone on that drive, a total of 8:46 in the quarter. Over the remaining 45 minutes, however, the Als had only 11:41 of possession.

Durant passed for only 93 yards, the Als offensively failing to score a single point a week after they were held to 21 points and two offensive touchdowns by the same team.

Montreal’s offence, again, appears to be an issue. The team averaged 21 points per game, ahead of only the winless Hamilton Tiger-Cats. And the Als have scored 15 offensive touchdowns through eight games, again ahead of only the Ticats.

While Durant, like any quarterback, receives the majority of credit or blame depending on the game’s outcome, he wasn’t alone. Stefan Logan fumbled a kickoff that was recovered and returned for a score, part of the Argos’ 28-point second-quarter outburst.

As Toronto continued to score, it forced the Als into becoming more of a one-dimensional team. The run game had to be virtually abandoned. Neither could the team rely on play-action. Knowing Durant was going to pass almost exclusively, the Argos’ defenders could pin their ears back and come after him in waves.

“We could look at any given play and find something that should be better, at any given position,” Chapdelaine admitted. “They didn’t do anything differently defensively after that long drive. It’s not like, all of a sudden, we started going into a different playbook. A variety of things came up and we weren’t able to match it.

“Darian himself, as a pro, wants to be better. There were some good things, but some other things could have been a lot better. We all have to play better for Darian as well. Darian himself has a few things he has to take care of.”

Receiver Tiquan Underwood, who would have provided one more offensive threat, had to be placed on the one-game injured list, a victim of the ratio, so the Als could dress import Jeremy Lewis at left guard. Lewis was replacing the injured Philippe Gagnon.

Without Underwood, it was easier for the Argos to concentrate on Ernest Jackson and B.J. Cunningham. Jackson caught three passes for 43 yards. Cunningham was held to a 10-yard catch, but was targeted seven times. Clearly he and Durant weren’t on the same page.

“There were times he (Cunningham) was available,” Chapdelaine said. “There were times he could have run his route a little better. We talked about this.”

The Als as a team, Durant said, continue making too many mistakes. But why this continues happening, with all their veterans and as the club approaches the midpoint of the regular season, is a mystery nobody seems capable of answering.

“We didn’t come out as fired up as last time. Why? I don’t know,” said Cunningham. “During the course of the game I didn’t see the fire and drive in people’s eyes.”

That, many would suggest, comes down to a coaching issue and having the players ill-prepared. Anthony Calvillo, the team’s quarterback coach, isn’t afraid to look at himself in the mirror.

“It starts with us as coaches. We have to make sure we’re doing the best job to get these guys ready,” he admitted. “Any type of mistake, whether it comes from Darian or anybody else, is going to affect the offence. I don’t care how many years you play for, mistakes are going to happen.

“We’re trying to make sure we’re all getting better, including us as coaches.”

Notes: Middle-linebacker Dominique Tovell, who scored the Als’ only touchdown Saturday, missed practice with a knee injury. … Tailback Tyrell Sutton also left prematurely Monday. He has a bruised knee.

This Week's Flyers

Comments

We encourage all readers to share their views on our articles and blog posts. We are committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion, so we ask you to avoid personal attacks, and please keep your comments relevant and respectful. If you encounter a comment that is abusive, click the "X" in the upper right corner of the comment box to report spam or abuse. We are using Facebook commenting. Visit our FAQ page for more information.